Personal worth at the heart of Christianity

Perhaps there has been a time when someone has challenged your theological views by asking the question, “Why do you believe in Jesus?” What good does it do? If you are a Christian, a question such as this should challenge you to examine your faith more carefully to see how you can Scripturally answer the question. But many sincere Christians have difficulty expressing why they believe Christianity is essential to them. Although they know it is good for the soul, they sometimes have trouble pointing out the good Christianity does for all mankind. Let me suggest an idea that may make it easier for believers to answer the question, and unbelievers to gain a perspective they may have overlooked.
I would suggest the primary good accomplished by Christianity is that it defines who we are and adds purpose and worth to life. Is mankind simply a stepping stone in the river of evolution, created by chance mutations in some primeval ancestor we have yet to discover? Or is mankind more than just another animal that will eventually be replaced by some higher evolutionary product? The answer to these questions will determine a person’s outlook on life. If we are only an accidental mutation, then life loses its value and purpose. If we are only products of an evolutionary process, the only worthiness we have is based on what we achieve while we are alive. In order to attain self-worth, we must trample on others and outdo their achievements. As we “win” the battle of accomplishment, our life gains value.
But if man is more than just an accidental mutation, then life becomes much more meaningful. If we are- as the Bible says we are- made in the image of God for the purposes of God, then our life automatically has value. We don’t have to earn personal worth, it is imputed to us by the fact that we are created in the image of a loving God to fulfill a purpose no other person can fulfill. That gives life a value far beyond that which any human achievement can attain.
Because every life has meaning, regardless of the circumstances of that life, life is precious. This is why most Christians consider themselves to be “pro-life.” Misguided people who attack those engaged in the abortion industry for the purpose of harming them completely miss the point. All life is valuable; every person has worth. Many do not live up to their purpose and do not act in a worthy manner, but that does not take away the fact that they were created for a purpose and they have worth simply because they are created in the image of God. Christianity can help these individuals discover their purpose and realize their worth through a life of loving and serving others.
Many well-intentioned individuals often look at babies who are born in dire circumstances and wonder if it would not have been better if they had not been born. Children who are mentally or physically challenged, children born with drug addictions, children of unwed mothers, children born to alcoholic or drug addicted parents cause us to wonder how their lives could possibly have any significance. How could someone like these possibly have value and self-worth? The answer is the same: because God has a plan and purpose for their lives, their lives have value. They need not do anything or become anything to gain value, they have value because God has imparted value to them.
Some people, through a variety of circumstances, live in conditions that are very difficult. These people face financial, social, educational, and cultural problems over which they feel they have little, if any, control. Because of those circumstances, they feel hopeless, trapped, and helpless. But because God has given them worth, there is within them the power to overcome their circumstances and accomplish that which God has given them to accomplish. That self worth God has given them is their key to escaping the negative circumstances which chain them to a way of life they don’t know they can challenge. Christianity can assist them in finding that key hidden deep inside of them.
We all can think of many different hypothetical situations which we think robs life of value and destroys the reason for existence. Those who are despondent and depressed to the point of being ready to give up on life have reached that point. But the good news is there is not, nor has their ever been, one person to ever live who does, or did, not have value and purpose. If that message is ever truly accepted, people would no longer be so quick to proclaim that life is empty and void and has no purpose beyond “eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.” Christianity can help them discover that truth.
The truth Christianity proclaims is this: regardless of who you are or what the circumstances of your life might be, God loves you, He has given you personal worth, and He has a plan for your life that will bring you joy, contentment, and personal satisfaction. Many never realize that potential, but it is implanted in the spirit of every one who comes into this world. God imputes value and worth to every life and there are no exceptions. Christianity is the means He has chosen to reveal and unlock that potential placed within all human beings.